Hydrogenation of Esters by Manganese Catalysts

Abstract

AbstractThe hydrogenation of esters catalyzed by a manganese complex of phosphine‐aminopyridine ligand was developed. Using this protocol, a variety of (hetero)aromatic and aliphatic carboxylates including biomass‐derived esters and lactones were hydrogenated to primary alcohols with 63–98% yields. The manganese catalyst was found to be active for the hydrogenation of methyl benzoate, providing benzyl alcohol with turnover numbers (TON) as high as 45,000. Investigation of catalyst intermediates indicated that the amido manganese complex was the active catalyst species for the reaction.magnified image